Small-arm.



G. VANDER HAEGHEN.

SMALLARM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1910.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

GEORGES VANDER HAEGHEN, OF LIEG-E, BELGIUM.

SMALL-ARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Application filed September 1, 1910. Serial N 0. 580,089.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGES VANDER HAEGHEN, a subject of the Kingdom of Belgium, residing at 9 Place de la Cathedrale, Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Small-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

A great number of accidents arise from the following cause: The fire arm being loaded, if the magazine is withdrawn, persons but little acquainted with the operation of such weapons regard it as unloaded while a cartridge remains in the barrel. Means are known to avoid such accidents by setting the weapon at safety by withdrawal of the magazine. The present invention provides means to avoid such accidents by essentially diiferent means. The weapon is so constructed as to prevent the withdrawal of the magazine before the weapon has been set at safety. Various means may be used therefor and differ, according to the kind of safety of the arm; therefore the present invention only describes some examples of execution.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical section partly in elevation of a weapon provided with one form of this improved automatic safety device and with the magazine in position therein; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the magazine removed; Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Such weapons are at safety as long as they are not taken in hand in the position necessary to shoot; it is therefore obvious that they are also at safety in the same conditions when the magazine is removed. But it should be noted that said safety is not absolute and it is only necessary after removal of the magazines as well as before, to take the weapon in a certain manner to be able to shoot. The devices shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by way of example prevent the danger mentioned by maintaining the existing safety 2'. e. by assuring said safety in all cases by the removal of the magazine.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the invention is applied to a Browning pistol where the automatic safety 1 blocks by its nose 2 a part of the trigger. A member pivoted on the frame 3 has two arms 4: and 5. A spring 6 constantly causes the arm 4 to bear on one of the walls of the magazine 7. When the magazine is in its place as shown Fig. 1 the position taken by said piece is such that its arm 5 is opposite a cavity 8 in the safety member 1 so that said member can be operated freely without engaging said arm 5. But as soon as the magazine is removed said member rocks on its pivot 3 and assumes the position shown in Fig. 2, its arm 5 coming opposite a stop 9 of the safety member which is thereby blocked. It is then impossible to move said member and the weapon is at safety as long as the magazine is not replaced. It should be noted that when the magazine has been replaced, the mere fact of arranging the stop in position serves to load a cartridge in the barrel.

In the device illustrated in Figs. 3 and A the stop 58 acts upon a part 59 of the automatic safety device. This stop 58 which a spring not shown in the drawing tends to cause to approach the magazine 59 is sus pended from the frame 60 by a hook 61, the length of which is greater than the thickness of the wall 60 on which it is suspended. So long as the magazine is in position its wall presses the stop rearward as shown in Fig. 3. In this position of the stop the part 59 can be operated freely because its nose 62 is opposite a cavity 63 in the stop. When the magazine has been withdrawn the stop following the action of its spring and being no longer retained owing to the nose 61 bearing against the magazine assumes the position represented in Fig. 4 in which posltion the nose 62 of the part 59 is no longer opposite the cavity 63. This part 59 is therefore blocked.

Claim An automatic fire arm having a cartridge magazine, an automatic safety, a sprmg pressed member bearing normally on the In testimony that I claim the foregoing 7 magazine and tensioned thereby, the tension as my lnventlon I have signed myname 1n belng removed by the Withdrawal of the presence of two subscnbmg wltnesses. 7

magazine and said member being operable GEORGES VANDER HAEGHEN, 5 automatically on the removal of the tension itnesses:

to block the automatic safety and prevent EUGJ JNE VANDENPLAS,

movement of the trigger. 1 ADOLIHE GROEBEN.

Copies of this patent may be cbtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. C. 

